(US, Mexico, and Canada customers only) February 6, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Lindsey Vonn of the United States at the finish line during women’s downhill training for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics at the Topane Alpine Ski Center. Mandatory Credit: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters via Imagn Images Lindsey Vonn, who is happy to finally be home, said in a social media post on Sunday that a “tough and painful journey” lies ahead as the American skier recovers from a fatal crash in the women’s downhill at the Milan Cortina Olympics last month.
Vonn, 41, has had five surgeries since suffering a compound fracture of her left tibia after crashing the gate and going off the course 13 seconds into the run on Feb. 8. She later said the damage was so severe that her leg might have been amputated if Dr. Tom Hackett, an orthopedic surgeon on the U.S. team, had not quickly treated the compartment syndrome caused by the crash by performing a fasciotomy.
In compartment syndrome, excessive pressure builds up inside the muscle due to bleeding or swelling, which can restrict blood flow and cause permanent injury if not treated quickly. Hospitalization for four surgeries lasted nearly two weeks in Italy, followed by five surgeries and recovery in the United States before he was able to return home on Sunday.
“Beautiful home,” Vonn wrote on Instagram. “It feels good to sleep in my own bed.” “I am now focused on healing and getting well. It will be a difficult and painful journey, but I am putting all my energy into it, as I always have.”
Vaughan noted that she suffered emotional distress over the death of her dog, Leo, a shelter dog she adopted in 2014. She wrote on Instagram earlier this month that Leo had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer after surviving lymphoma a year and a half ago.
“The day I fell, so did Leo,” Vaughn wrote, designating February 9 as the date of his death.
On Sunday, Vaughn wrote, “As always, walking through the front door without Leo greeting me was a very difficult reality. A reality I had to face. Along with many other difficult realities that lie ahead of me as I move forward….”
She told her followers that she was “going to take some time for myself” and that she would provide updates when she could, thanking them for their love and support.
Vonn, who retired with a partially reconstructed right knee, was considered an Olympic medal contender before her final World Cup match a week ago. She tore her left ACL on the downhill but said she could still compete in the Olympics.
Vonn was seeking her second gold medal in the downhill after winning in Vancouver in 2010. She also has two bronze medals. She has 84 World Cup victories, including two this season.
–Field level media
